i have been called to serve a mission for the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints for eighteen months in the nicaragua managua south mission. my family has agreed to post my weekly emails here, as well as any comments or posts they wish to add.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

El 16 de Marzo

this week showed me just how much is possible when i put my faith in the Lord, and not in my own abilities.

for one: i got a package! third one of the mission, and one that i was waay excited to see. it had all my bedding in it! so i don't wake up with a crick in my neck, and i have been sleeping through the night, and not waking up three and four times in the night, having to readjust my makeshift pillow. a picture of my bed, and my three american luxuries: a pillow, sheets, and a fan!

monday night we got a call, that i had an interview scheduled for the following morning at eight in ante gracia with President Russell. this phone call meant three things: 1-we had to get to the house asap to start cleaning, because with interviews, comes inspections of our apartment. and not that we hadn't cleaned, we had just cleaned a little bit. so we had to hurry and repent in the final hour. 2-we needed to plan real quick for the following day and get to work. 3-we had to get up early and get ready, to be at the church in ante gracia at seven thirty. which is about a thirty minute taxi ride away. we passed our inspection, which means brownies for Hermana Graves and Hermana Gomez!! Sister Russell took our weight, and turns out that I only feel fat. I weigh the solid 138 that I weighed when I started here in Nicaragua/left the MTC weighing. After that, an interview with President Russell, and an opportunity to talk in English. There is something about talking with and being complimented by a father figure that is just soothing for the soul.

the assistants that night, tuesday, came and interviewed Angel and Frank because they were struggling a little bit to feel ready for their baptisms. can i just say, that amazing things happen when you pray for something specific and then go and work for it? we had been working with Angel, and been trying so hard to get it done ourselves, and even had had the Zone Leaders come and talk with him, but most of the time, the Lord doesnt want us to do it alone. we need the help of others in the work. thanks to those elders, a little bit of spiritual pixie dust, and a whole lot of prayer, the elders get the permission from franks mom, and got both angel and frank on the bath to baptism. they also visited hermanita emily and gave her a packet with some pamphlets of the church about baptism, confirmation, and the path that she would be starting on. super pilas. with some hard work, and several hours of prayer, we were blessed with the miracle of three baptisms saturday.

this week is something that we could not have done without the Lords help. it seriously would not have been even remotely possible. but we can do all things in Christ, who strengthens us. i know that i was called to be a disciple of Christ, THE SON OF GOD, to preach this Gospel, His word, to the people of Nicaragua to help them achieve eternal life. only when we as missionaries walk by faith will we have success, because testimony and knowledge only come after the trial of our faith. the field is white, all ready to harvest, and all those who have a desire to serve are called to the work. this work, HIS work, is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. eternal life. salvation. the greatest of all the gifts of GOD. and i have the opportunity to share to open my mouth and preach it. there are changes in the works here in nicaragua and the great thing is that something never changes: God´s plan for us. its never going to change. the tomb is empty, man is free, Christ has won the victory.